Sourcing Organic Cotton from African Countries Potentials and Risks for the Apparel Industry Supply Chain

Sustainability is a contributor to competitive advantage and a potential key to increase market shares in the saturated apparel sector. Managing supply chains environmentally and socially sustainable is a way to prevent from being associated with the many negative examples in the industry that are presented on a regular basis by NGOs and media. In order to avoid negative consequences from unsustainable behavior of suppliers, sustainability needs to be propagated to upstream partners in the supply chain. The paper at hand illustrates opportunities to strengthen sustainability in apparel supply chains. Based on a systematic review of related literature, a taxonomy of apparel supply chains is derived and sustainability aspects are identified. A particular focus is put on finding alternative sources such as organic cotton from Africa. The presented study represents a basis to stimulate future research on sustainable apparel supply chains. Practitioners may find innovative approaches to improve supply chain sustainability.